Analyzing Childhood and Adult Obesity

Childhood/Adult Obesity

Childhood and Adult Obesity

The problem of obesity is serious across the globe. Indeed, it has been cited as the second most common cause of preventable deaths and a great public health concern in the U.S.A. The past twenty years have seen a tremendous increase in obesity cases. Although imbalance in energy is a common case of obesity, medical conditions including genetic ailments and medication also play a significant role (Williams, 2011 p. 5-7).

The Effect of Being Obese

There has been a marked increase in the attention that is directed towards obesity. The condition is also widely associated to several other chronic ailments, including hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidaemia, osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome sleep apnoea, sleep apnoea and some forms of cancer. Health expenses are relatively higher for individuals with obesity. It has been estimated that the cost of medical care for people suffering from obesity is 60% higher compared to people with normal weight (Williams, 2011 p. 10)

Health Insurance Status

Health care cover of good quality is important for one to live productively and healthy. The expression 'health care cover' or as it is also known, 'health insurance', generally refers to a variety of insurance cover options. Health insurance entails visits by doctors, therapies, hospital care, tests and even prescription drugs. Health cover is the main mechanism through which health matters are financed. It is a great way to secure the financial security of individuals and families. It is also a good facility for enabling many people to access health services. The insurance companies play a major assistance role in paying the medical bills of policy holders (14-15)

Impact of Health Insurance

It has been shown that insurance cover results in better health in both children and adults alike. It is affordable. It enables the users to appropriately utilize health services. People access screening services and preventive health care more easily. Other benefits include access to prescription medication, enhanced mental health and a continuous health cover. It has been noted though, that as obesity continues to become a worrisome problem in these, the health care costs related to the condition have also gone up. Experts point out that the rising cost of medical care is caused by obesity prevalence (Williams, 2011, 17).

According to the results of a similar study by Bhattacharya, Bundorf, Pace & Sood, health insurance tends to make people fat (23). They say that the weight of people's bodies respond to health cover (Bhattacharya, Bundorf, Pace, & Sood, 2009, 23-24). Obesity prevalence among the youth has been linked to the availability of medical health cover.

According to a survey done in 1996 by the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component, the lack of insurance cover, and the availability of public insurance such as Medicaid, Medicare etc. were clearly and directly related to the incidence of obesity in adolescents (Koplan, Liverman, Kraak, 2005).

Utilization of health care service is similar in both obese and non-obese children. The obese used the health care service by 67% while the non-obese children utilized these services by 65% once last year. This shows that low income earners seem to access health care by a smaller margin. A marginally higher proportion of obese children from poor households checked into emergency wards in the same period. Except for visits to the emergency room, uninsured obese children without health cover utilize the health care services to a lesser extent. It is pointed out that obese children without insurance are by a far smaller margin likely to receive child check-up services compared to obese children with health cover.

Health care cover under the Medicaid program financed by the public is essential and useful to many children who would have missed out on health insurance (George Town University, 2002).

Effects of being Uninsured

America is facing a critical level of obesity among its citizens. The risk emanates from both the uninsured and insured obese individuals. There is, usually, the issue of whether health insurance is important in matters of health that frequently comes up. The uninsured groups in the U.S. represent a wide range of people with a variety of complex reasons for not taking insurance cover. Those who are uninsured do not have much access to health care. This group lives in conditions of ill health and die much younger than those with health insurance cover. It is evident that lack of health care cover makes it hard for people to use health services they need. Adults who are uninsured are not likely to receive any form of health care. They are unlikely to even show evidence of a recent visit to the doctor at any time a spot check is done. They are also likely to ignore health care service even when they need medical attention because they are afraid of cost implication (15-16).